Vol. 17, No. 26, January 1, 1944. 8 pages. View this issue
News of the 100th Infantry Battalion led this January 1, 1944 issue. The War Department identified 86 Japanese American casualties in recent fighting in Italy: 26 killed, 57 wounded and three missing, with next of kin listed, most of them in Hawaii. Elsewhere in the paper, Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark promoted two soldiers to captain on Christmas Day, and Technical Sergeant Ben Kuroki came home after thirty combat missions. The 442nd Combat Team at Camp Shelby also appeared in stories from Mississippi and Ohio.
The editorial page looked toward 1944 and warned of more anti-Japanese agitation in an election year. Columns by Bill Hosokawa, Joe Grant Masaoka and Saburo Kido followed on pages 5 to 7. Marie Harlowe Pulley wrote about prejudice among nisei. JACL chapter news from Idaho and a Tule Lake harvest report are inside, along with three pages of holiday greetings.
What’s in this issue
Military & Veterans
- War Department Announces Names of 26 Nisei Killed, 56 Wounded on Italy Front, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The War Department identified 86 Japanese American casualties in Italy, including 26 killed, 57 wounded, and three missing, all members of the 100th Infantry Battalion. The announcements list next-of-kin for each soldier, mostly in Hawaii.
- Evacuee Youth Accepted as Cadet in Civil Air Patrol, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Bob Izumi, formerly of Sanger, California, became believed to be the first nisei accepted as a Civil Air Patrol cadet in Des Moines, Iowa. He left the Manzanar relocation center on an NYA training offer before joining the CAP.
- Japanese American Gunner Ben Kuroki Returns to U.S. After Thirty Combat Missions, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Technical Sergeant Ben Kuroki, a Nebraska-born nisei turret gunner, returned home after thirty combat missions over Europe and North Africa, including the Ploesti raid for which he received the Distinguished Flying Cross. He is scheduled to report in California and hopes to serve in the Pacific war.
- Gen. Clark Lauds Nisei Unit, Promotes Japanese Americans During Christmas Day Tour, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark praised the 100th Infantry Battalion in Italy and promoted two Japanese American soldiers to captain during his Christmas Day tour. He told the men the Army was proud of the unit.
- Nisei Learn of Traditional Southern Hospitality as Rancher Adopts Combat Unit, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Earl Finch of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, has sponsored rodeos, swimming parties, luaus and travel help for the 442nd Combat Team training at Camp Shelby. His generosity has made him a beloved figure among the volunteers.
- Ohio Woman Writes Song for Nisei Combat Team, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mrs. Dorothy Gibson of Columbus, Ohio, composed the Japanese American Victory song as a marching song for the 442nd Combat Team at Camp Shelby. She wrote it at the request of a soldier who had met her while visiting relatives.
- Nisei Gunner Fought in Air Battles in Africa, Europe, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sgt. Ben Kuroki described his experiences as a gunner, including the terrifying Ploesti raid and his isolation as one of few Japanese Americans in combat zones. He said he is willing to face continued antagonism in the Pacific theater to avenge Pearl Harbor.
- Captain Suzuki Leaves Hospital in North Africa Area, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Capt. Taro Suzuki of Honolulu, the highest-ranking Japanese American officer in the 100th Infantry Battalion, was released from a North African hospital after being wounded November 5 in Italy. He had led his men in rescuing 22 American paratroopers near Benevento.
- First Nisei Seamen Receive State Department Passports, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The first Japanese American evacuee merchant seamen received State Department passports after being blocked from shipping out from east coast ports. The Japanese American Committee for Democracy reported that clarification from government agencies was underway.
- First Group of Nisei WACs Enter Training at Des Moines, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Five young Japanese American women entered Women’s Army Corps training at Fort Des Moines, Iowa, out of eagerness to serve their country. Several of them have brothers already in the army, and two were recruited while in relocation centers.
National
- Kenny Rules Nisei Entitled to Vacation Pay Because of Army Evacuation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. California Attorney General Robert Kenny ruled that Misao Shiratsuki, a Nisei state stenographer, must be paid for an annual vacation she could not take due to evacuation. The ruling requires payment equivalent to 15 and a half vacation days.
- California Personnel Board Shelves Cases of Nisei Civil Service Workers for Duration, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The California State Personnel Board postponed until after the war the cases of 82 Japanese American state employees dismissed after Pearl Harbor. The employees agreed to waive back salary claims under a stipulation suggested by the state’s attorney.
- Two West Coast Congressmen Dissent from Bloc’s Attack on War Relocation Program, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Reps. George Outland and Warren Magnuson dissented from eight West Coast colleagues who condemned WRA director Dillon Myer and his staff. Rep. Clair Engle expected changes in the relocation program shortly after the first of the year.
Incarceration & Redress
- Judge Resets L.A. Test Case Hearing Date, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carl A. Stutsman postponed Brown v. Oshiro to January 21, 1944, for further evidence. The case concerns whether a Japanese lessee remains liable on a Little Tokyo hotel lease after evacuation orders.
Community
- Christmas Activities Hold Sway at Des Moines Hostel, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Friends hostel in Des Moines hosted fourteen young evacuees for Christmas festivities including stockings, dinner and an evening party. Director Ross T. Wilbur said guests typically stay two or three days until they find work and housing.
- Volunteers Save Huge Food Crop at Tule Lake, by P.C. Staff, page 6. 227 relocation center harvest workers at Tule Lake saved more than a quarter million dollars worth of food crops between November 4 and 26. The Topaz Times reported that 54,777 hundredweight sacks of potatoes were harvested along with other vegetables.
- Tsutomu Abo Will Head Magic Valley Chapter of JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Tsutomu Abo was named president of the Magic Valley JACL chapter for 1944 following December elections. A cabinet of vice-president, secretary, treasurer and committee representatives was also named.
- Boise Valley JACL Nominates Candidates for Coming Elections, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Boise Valley JACL council nominated candidates for its coming elections at a December 11 meeting in Ontario. The council also voted to send funds to national headquarters and to the Rev. Alfred Akamatsu.
- Favor Dissolution of WRA Centers, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Delegates at the YMCA-YWCA conference in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, unanimously approved a resolution calling for the elimination of relocation centers and the return of evacuees to civilian life. The resolution was adopted at the annual conference.
Commentary
- New Year’s Day, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial reflects on a hard year of war, racial strife at home, and hope for victory in Europe and the Pacific. It predicts that Japanese Americans still in camps will find their place in American life in the coming year.
- Nisei and Jim Crow, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial urges nisei to reject racial prejudice against other minority groups, noting their own experience of persecution. It cites an incident in Kent, Washington, and calls on nisei to support equal treatment for all Americans.
- Hearst Revives a Lie, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial condemns a San Francisco Examiner editorial that blamed Hawaii’s Japanese Americans for the Pearl Harbor attack despite official findings of no sabotage. It argues the Hearst press is waging a race-baiting campaign against loyal Japanese Americans.
- Kent’s Honor Roll, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial notes that Kent, Washington’s newspaper honored twenty Japanese American servicemen while local posters declared Japanese were unwelcome. It calls the contradiction amazing and asks for apologies to the men.
- Politics and the New Year, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial warns that 1944, an election year, will bring intensified anti-Japanese agitation as politicians exploit the issue, as they did in 1920. It criticizes California Governor Warren for tacitly endorsing Hearst’s race-baiting and notes congressional figures opposing it.
- Nisei and Race Prejudice: Jim Crow Tendencies Among Japanese American Evacuees May Hamper Resettlement, by Marie Harlowe Pulley, page 5. Pulley describes how nisei refused housing offered in her Chicago neighborhood once they saw Black professional families there. She argues that such prejudice threatens nisei futures and that Black Americans had been generous in offering homes to evacuees.
- Calling All Chapters!, by Hito Okada, page 5. Okada reminds members to renew JACL dues and reports contributions to the Nisei USO totaling $222. He notes a letter from the USO director thanking chapters for timely donations.
- From the Frying Pan: Reflections at the Beginning of a New Year, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa offers reflections on the coming year, noting the dispersal of evacuees across the country and the shortages and rationing ahead. He observes that Midwest newspapers have been fairer to Japanese Americans than some West Coast papers.
- Ann Nisei Says: Face a World at War, by Ann Nisei, page 5. Ann Nisei advises relocating evacuees on the realities awaiting them, including higher prices, housing shortages, and wartime rationing. She frames the hardships as shared responsibilities in a nation at war.
- Joe Grant Masaoka’s Column: Parent Generation Leaves Heritage of Fortitude to Nisei, by Joe Grant Masaoka, page 6. Masaoka recounts the hardships endured by Issei laborers who worked on railroads, mines, and farms under harsh conditions. He argues that their fortitude lives on in the Nisei soldiers who have distinguished themselves in combat.
JACL
- Wakasugi Will Head IDC for Coming Year, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Mamoru Wakasugi of Weiser, Idaho, was elected chairman of the Intermountain District Council of the JACL at a meeting in Pocatello. Other officers were also chosen for the coming year.
Sports
- Two Nisei Basketball Teams Will Enter New York League, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Two basketball teams representing the Japanese American Young People Christian Federation of New York will compete in the Church of All Nations league this season. The Federation Ayes open against the Chinese quintet.
In-Depth
- Outlook for a Happy New Year, by Saburo Kido, page 7. Kido examines farming prospects for evacuees, weighing the Intermountain region against the Midwest and eastern markets. He notes Utah celery and flower-growing opportunities while cautioning about water supply and transportation problems.
Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.